Customers are looking for luxury, says online agent
Holidaymakers are looking for more luxurious holidays as spending confidence continues to improve, according to online agent Travel Republic.
It claimed that last year its top 10 highest-rated hotels were all four and five-star for the first time.
In 2011, Travel Republic’s best-selling hotel was a three-star property in Crete where prices started from just £26 per night but over the past four years it has noticed more customers are tending to upgrade their accommodation and, as a result, spending has increased.
Managing director Ian Simmonds said: "Customers are seeing the value in spending that little bit extra for four or five-star hotels. "The results we’ve just seen for 2014 reflect this. It’s the first year we’ve seen a top 10 comprising solely top-end properties."
At number one is The Cliff Bay Hotel in Madeira, Portugal, which achieved a near-perfect average rating of 9.52 out of 10 in the year.
Simmonds said: "Congratulations to everyone featured. With 300,000 hotels on TravelRepublic.co.uk, securing a spot in the top 20 is a remarkable achievement."
Travel Republic customers were asked to rank the hotel they stayed in, from 1 (very poor) to 10 (spectacular). The Top 20 list was compiled from all ratings received in 2014.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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